The present invention relates to chewing gum of the kind comprising a flavoured liquid filling encapsulated in a chewing gum body.
More specifically, the invention relates to a flavoured liquid filling composition for chewing gum of the aforementioned kind and a method of manufacturing the aforementioned liquid filling.
The main purpose of manufacturing and selling chewing gum containing flavoured liquid filling is to provide the consumer with a product which, when the covering is broken, discharges a flavoured spray in the consumer's mouth and can then be eaten like conventional gum.
To this end, it is particularly necessary for the liquid filling to maintain its fluidity and flavour practically unchanged from the moment when it is encapsulated in the piece of chewing gum.
The various commercially-obtainable liquid filling compositions for chewing gum are such that the filling slowly crystallizes after they are encapsulated in the gum covering, resulting in a relatively rapid loss of water and consequently in a relatively rapid decrease in the desired fluidity of the filling. As a result, depending on the time between the manufacture of chewing gum encapsulating an aforementioned liquid filling and the consumption thereof, the "spray" effect when the gum covering is broken will be non-existent or less perceptible by the consumer.
To obviate this technical disadvantage, i.e. in order to eliminate or considerably slow down the crystallization, it has been suggested that the formulation of the flavoured liquid fillings should contain an additive such that the composition retains a constant water content not less than a predetermined critical value, e.g. not below 17% by weight. To this end, U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,154 teaches the use of an additive comprising glycerin in the proportion of 3 to 20% by weight of the flavoured liquid filling.
In accordance with the last-mentioned teaching, chewing gum has been manufactured such that the flavoured liquid filling has retained the desired fluidity for a satisfactory, acceptable time. However, this recognized improvement is counter-balanced by the fact that, even in a relatively short time, liquid filling compositions containing the aforementioned additive, e.g. glycerin, have a flavour and taste which is greatly reduced to a point where it becomes imperceptible.
One possible interpretation of this disadvantage is that, in the aforementioned liquid filling compositions for chewing gum, the favouring component (which is mainly oily and therefore water-repellent) tends to migrate from the liquid filling to the gum covering, where it becomes soluble and combines with one or more components of the basic formulation of the covering. The migration is considerably assisted by the relatively high, practically constant water content, which is present in the liquid filling composition due to the additive used therein to maintain its fluidity.
The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid filling composition for chewing gum which obviates the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art, i.e. retains the desired, required fluidity and intensity of taste.